Michael Bernard Mukasey (/mjuːˈkeɪzi/; born July 28, 1941) is a lawyer and former judge who served as the 81st Attorney General of the United States. He was appointed following the resignation of Alberto Gonzales. Mukasey also served for 18 years as a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, six of those years as Chief Judge. He is the recipient of several awards, most notably the Learned Hand Medal of the Federal Bar Council. Mukasey was the second Jewish U.S. Attorney General. Mukasey is a partner at the international law firm Debevoise & Plimpton.